


An Offer from Dumbledore

by Fucking_Loser



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon, Canon Compliant, Gen, Pre-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-09 01:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17397551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fucking_Loser/pseuds/Fucking_Loser
Summary: After a tiring day, Remus comes home to find an old friend sitting on his dingy sofa...A small look into Remus' life pre PoA and how he came to be the DADA teacher





	An Offer from Dumbledore

The light of the day had already vanished when Remus finally ascended the steps to his apartment under the roof of a house in muggle London.   
His legs ached from the long day spent standing on his feet, but the job at the warehouse was honest work and it paid enough to keep a roof over his head.   
Albeit a shoe-box sized roof, but a roof none the less.   
Between the 5th year of his life and the time he went off to Hogwarts as an 11 year old boy, Remus and his parents had to move from town to town before the pattern of him becoming ill became apparent.   
No matter where they lived, whether if it was England, Wales or Northern Ireland, one thing always remained the same: The Lupins kept close to the sea.  
To this day, the tangy smell of salt in damp air and the screaming of seagulls brought comfort to Remus.   
Yes, he really did miss the sea.   
He hadn’t noticed anything amiss.   
Not when he’d fumbled for his keys in the pockets of his coat while he tried to balance the groceries in his hands, not when he’d fought with the lock that liked to jam (the trick was to pull the door towards you as you turn the key).  
So it was that he nearly had a heart attack when he opened the door to find Albus Dumbledore sitting on his dinky sofa happily sipping from one of his tea mugs.  
„Hullo, Remus“, he said cheerfully.  
The plastic bags slipped from his hands and fell to the floor with a loud thud.   
„Come sit down, will you?“, he said smiling, patting the empty space next to him.   
Remus stood rooted to the spot, hands trembling slightly.   
His gaze twitched to the still open door behind him and the urge to run almost overwhelmed him.   
Dumbledore looked at him expectantly, still smiling.   
„Come in, come in“, he encouraged.   
Remus nodded and reluctantly made his way across the room. His steps felt mechanical, as if his legs weren’t his own.   
He heard the door closing behind him with a thud as he stiffly sat down on the edge of the armchair across from Dumbledore.   
„Relax Remus, I’m not here to rip your head off. Quite the opposite, in fact.“   
That did not help Remus to calm down whatsoever.   
„Tea?“ he asked.  
Remus shook his head. „No, thank you“, he said quietly at last.   
Dumbledore nodded and sat his own mug down.  
Remus was suddenly painfully aware of the chipped off pieces. Or the spring poking out of the sofa cushion. Or the wallpaper that was hanging on for dear life at the far right of the room that he’d intended to fix weeks ago.   
„What good is a wand to a wizard if he doesn’t carry it?“, Dumbledore asked casually.  
Remus’ cheeks burned and he tried not to look at the wand he knew he’d carelessly left laying on the coffee table days ago.   
„It’s not wise to leave the house without your wand. I’m sure you’ve heard the news.“   
Remus nodded, silently accio-ing his wand into his hand and tucking it into the waistband of his jeans.   
„It’s hard not to“, he admitted.   
Indeed, for the past years he’d tried his hardest to ignore the magical part of the world entirely, but even he hadn’t missed the news of the escape of his former best friend and one of the most notorious criminals in modern wizarding history.   
„It is said that Sirius is after Harry“, Dumbledore said.   
Remus’ stomach churned painfully at the mention of two names he hadn’t dared speak aloud for the past 12 years, for the memory was better left alone. Too painful.   
Remus tried to combine the memory of a happy, young and healthy Sirius, whirling a squealing baby Harry around in his arms and laughing with the man they showed on the posters.   
„He wouldn’t…“, Remus began, but his voice quickly died out.   
No, he already had. He’d given James’ and Lillie’s location up fully well aware it would seal their fate.   
And Peter. Poor, brave, naive Peter…  
„No one has managed to escape Azkaban before. It’s impossible.“, Remus said lamely.   
„If one is determined enough, even the deemed to be impossible becomes possible“  
His heard thumped hard against his chest.  
Well, of course it might not be as impossible for Sirius. Tell him. Tell him.  
„Prof- Albus. About him. About… Sirius.“  
Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at him signaling him to go on, but every bit of courage had left his body swiftly.  
He thought:’When we were 15 I betrayed your trust in the worst way possible and let James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black become unregistered Animagi to keep me company during the full moon despite knowing better. We acted smug about it and thought we got away with it, but I suppose given the recent events this has backfired mightily at last. So sorry about that.’  
And instead he said:“I could never quite believe it. About him. He hated, absolutely hated his bigoted family. It just doesn’t make sense. None of it.“  
„Sometimes the love we carry for someone in our heart makes our head blind to their flaws.“, Dumbledore said.  
„No, not Sirius. He would’ve been the last to-“ Remus had to stop because his voice was cracking again. He balled his hands into fists. In that moment the pang of anger and shame at the betrayal hit him almost as hard as it had 12 years ago.   
„I just didn’t think it possible to be so wrong about someone you know so well“, he said. Or, at least he’d thought he did. Back then.   
„I have come to you with a request“, Dumbledore said, folding his hands in his lap.  
Remus frowned.  
„A request?“   
„Indeed. Due to… unfortunate circumstances Hogwarts is once again short of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.“Remus looked at him, frown deepening. „What does that have to do with me?“, he asked confused.   
„I’d like to offer it to you, Remus. You have excellent first hand experience wor-“  
Remus leaped from his seat at once.   
„No!“, he shouted.   
He clapped his hand across his mouth, horrified at his outburst and continued a little more calmly:“No, Professor. I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me, truly, I am. But I can’t. You know fully well I can’t.“   
„There’s no need to call me professor“ he said, an amused smile on his lips.   
„And I see no reason why you shouldn’t teach“, he continued.   
Was he mad? „But-“  
He raised his hand, stopping Remus’ attempt to object.  
„I haven’t forgotten, Remus.“, he said.   
„Now as I’m sure you know there’s been a breakthrough in potions brewing that lead to the invention of a potion that allows a sufferer to keep their mind during the full moon“  
Again, Remus didn’t understand.  
„Should you agree to come teach at Hogwarts, you shall receive an unlimited supply of Wolfsbane.“, Dumbledore explained.   
Remus’ mouth felt dry. Not in his wildest dreams…  
He’d known of the wolfsbane potion, of course. The disappointment and bitterness once he’d learnt how expensive its ingredient were, however, were just as prominently on his mind.  
„Thank you, Remus. I had very much hoped you would“, he said, his eyes twinkling.   
Remus hadn’t even realized he’d nodded.


End file.
